Territories
The Factions, Territory and World Map SplashClan *SplashClan's territory is primarily low-lying exposed moorland. It has little shelter except for small shrubs and some stunted trees closer to the neutral zone. The ground is dry and sandy in places, most vegetation is long grass and heather. The westernmost edge of the territory is a sheer cliff that drops to the sea. There are small paths down to the narrow beach below but it's best to steer clear of. *The camp is located in a cave, the roof of which is open to the sky. However, the walls are steep and so it should be entered through a side tunnel - not directly through the skylight! Offshoot caves serve as dens, with the leader's a little higher up and opening onto a weathered rocky platform from which they can address the Clan. *The territory includes a tidal river which has ritual significance to those who follow the faith of the tide spirits, and the river should not be crossed at the tidemouth but further up towards SummerClan out of respect to these primordial deities. A more practical reason for crossing further upriver is that the tidemouth is located in a steep ravine that makes traversing it dangerous. GladeClan *GladeClan territory is bordered by forest, with the vast majority being sunny grasslands. As the ground rises, pine forest creeps in and their camp is near the edge of this forest. A range of steep hills marks their eastern border very clearly, leaving little room for conflict with the Sundown Colony or the Mystics - the hill-ridge marks the border, end of story. *The coniferous forest is interspersed with deciduous trees which become more prevalent closer to the Sundown Colony border, and there are a couple of significant landmark trees within GladeClan's territory such as an ancient twisted kōwhai tree near the riverbend at the BreezeClan border, and a massive kahikatea deep in the forest that is used by apprentices and the more hard-headed warriors for climbing races or training. *GladeClan's camp itself is situated just outside the forest, in a shallow dish in the ground concealed by tall grass and further protected by a ring of bracken and thorns maintained by the Clan. Only the medicine cat, leader, elders and nursery have dens - built from ferns, bracken, branches and other things which grow beneath pine forests. The warriors and apprentices keep to separate areas of camp and sleep beneath the stars. BreezeClan *BreezeClan's territory is situated on a large river island. The river around is shallow and clear so crossing is safe, and they also claim a strip of territory across the river to the east of their island, though this border is often contested with GladeClan and also meets the Sundown Colony's border for a bit. *Their territory is mixed, mainly pine forest with a smaller element of sunny grassland and plains. At the river's edge of the island, the plains are covered in tall wildflowers making BreezeClan's territory one of the most aesthetically attractive. *Their camp is a deep natural hollow, the walls heightened with scrub and thorn. Dens are built from scrubby foliage, branches and bracken, set against the camp walls. An ancient stump sits just off the centre of the camp and serves as a meeting place. The Tribe of Mountain Flame *The Tribe maintains one of the smallest territories, their mountainous home marking the southern reach of the territories. Primarily they remain in the mountains but hold a section of freezing moorland that borders SplashClan for when leafbare makes hunting in the mountains too difficult.The mountains are riddled with ravines and shale, making passage difficult for the inexperienced to-be's, and leaving the camp without an adult is essentially a death sentence. *Myriad small streams make their way through the mountains though access is sometimes difficult. In hard times the Tribe will travel to the larger river bordering GladeClan for water, and their territory expanded slightly east to allow for this necessity. *The Tribe's camp is hidden in a series of caves, the main entrance concealed as a tiny crevice beside a rockfall. A surprising series of geothermal springs heats the caves inside keeping the Tribe safe in cold seasons, though the high levels of minerals in them make them unsuitable for drinking except as a last resort. Offshoot caves serve as dens and instead of a single nursery there are numerous small caves close together so that each kit-mother may choose her own space. The Stoneteller's den is furthest removed from the massive common space, accessed by a tunnel so that they may get some peace. The Sundown Colony *The Sundown Colony's territory is mostly deciduous forest, a steep hill ridge marking their entire west border. Despite their relative proximity, the steep hills make travel difficult so the Colony remains fairly isolated from the main Clans. Further east their territory is lower-lying, opening onto scrubby grass-land . They can access the large lake situated on their west border but in warm months twolegs often camp nearby so they retreat to the forest. *The river splitting their territory, while wide, has several safe crossing points and fallen trees sometimes form temporary bridges inside the forested area. The lake banks are fairly high on the camp side so when it swells in the rain luckily it does not flood towards the Colony's camp. *The Colony resides in a deep forest hollow formed from rock and hard earth, with some fallen trees inside. There are several tunnels and pathways that allow for exits from the camp, and dens are formed around the fallen trees and reinforced by more branches, bracken and other material. A modest cave accessed by a short path serves as the leader's den and opens onto a rocky outcrop from which the leader can address their faction. The Mystics *The Mystics are the furthest east of all the factions. Their main threat is from strays disregarding their eastern border, as their chilly moorland territory makes for easy hunting, plenty of rabbits and other small prey hide in the heather. They hold a small patch of deciduous forest as the furthest south-west point of their territory though this is used more for training than practical hunting. *Their camp is a large, wide gorge riddled with caves. Like the Tribe, each queen is allowed their own den with others serving to accommodate the other ranks. The monarch's den is furthest up the cliffs while the healer's den is on ground level and has a small natural spring at the back of it. *As they've had no need to build anything, their presence is fairly easy to overlook, made more so by their active concealment of any resources. The Neutral Zone *Located directly at the centre of the territories, the three Clans are technically equidistant from it. Both full-moon and half-moon gatherings are held within the neutral territory, with Clan gatherings taking place in a clearing within a semicircle of raised rocky foothills and medicine cats' meetings located in a cave accessed through a tunnel at the northern edge of the mountainous ring. *Aside from the central 'island' of sorts, the neutral zone is primarily an alkaline marsh with dry crossing points and safe hunting grounds, however one does need to have their wits about them. *Outside of Gatherings, most cats steer clear of the Neutral Zone both for the practical fact of its' being a filthy marsh, and for the old lore suggesting that it was significant to the old primordial deities and the creation of the Clans. *The cave in which the medicine cats meet has a hole that opens to the sky with a small, deep spring pool in the centre. Unclaimed Land *The unclaimed land is a wide expanse of plain and moorland, with some small shelter in the hills to the east. Perhaps fifty kilometres past those is the city. This territory offers little in way of resources which is why the factions never claimed it, but to any rogues, loners or other strays it's a safe place to stay if they keep their wits about them. *There is almost no forest to speak of except for some stunted, windswept trees - a mix of coniferous and deciduous species - sprinkled sparsely across the hills. If any stray wished to build a camp they'd need to search for a sheltered dish or ravine to hide in. There is little water access except for some scattered streams and the main river which flows through, the source is further east though far enough from the city that it remains unpolluted. *There are some scattered twoleg dwellings - probably no more than five or ten - to the north east, and a couple of really stubborn farmers to the southeast, though these properties are mostly confined to the hills and present little threat to any strays. The City *There are no twolegplaces within the main territories, though there is a tiny settlement in the northeastern hills of the unclaimed land, and two or three ornery farmers in the southeast unclaimed hills. *The Northern City itself is perhaps fifty kilometres off the edge of the map. It's no super-city, relatively clean and civilised with relatively little urban sprawl and pollution. Sometimes twolegs travel from the city to camp beside the lake in newleaf and greenleaf, though they really only affect the Sundown Colony and strays. Category:Important Pages Category:Browse Category:Lore and Info Category:World Category:Basic Lore & Info